The Fifth Blight
by Amira Reidroc
Summary: She is suddenly wrenched away from her family, the world she knew, and she arrives at Ostagar with the wizened Duncan to join the Grey Wardens. Little did anyone know that the Fifth Blight had begun, and all that stood against it were two new Grey Wardens, branded as traitors and deserters. Rated M for future language/smut/etc
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: I'm just about Dragon Age, it seems. I must apologize to the readers of my other works that...haven't been updated in...two years... -cough-_

_I haven't really had the urge to write anything in the last 4, to be honest. But somehow, I suddenly feel like writing about everything. Especially Dragon Age._

_Funny story, I had actually written the first part of this chapter months ago, and I finished it earlier this evening...I'm still caught up in my excitement over Inquisition. Hehe. _

**_Also-this story is on Archive of Our Own. Like my Cullen story. -cough-_**

_But~! I'm really excited for this retelling of the Origins story, because with Inquisition came a bucket load of lore and detail that for the most part, we've all had to imagine. Exciting. -rubs hands together while cackling-_

_So please enjoy. I don't own Bioware. Or Dragon Age. Sadly. ;-;_

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><p>I walked in silence behind Duncan. I was tired. Unbelievably tired. I could only focus on following him, putting one foot in front of the other, and I was barely listening to him as he talked about Ostagar. My mabari hound, Saban, trotted at my side, staying close to me, his ears up and alert for any sign of danger. My swords felt heavy on my back, the Cousland shield resting on my back as well. My hand reached up to my hair, finding the choppy, short length unnerving still. I exhaled slowly, feeling my breath rattle my chest as I looked up just in time for Duncan to stop, greeting a golden haired man in heavy gold plated chainmail. I thought he looked familiar, but I couldn't focus. I was exhausted.<p>

"And this is the newest Grey Warden recruit!" the kind voice of the king broke through my mental tiredness, and I stood straight up out of habit and smiled, meeting his blue eyed gaze. He looked so excited to about to ride into battle later that night.

"King Cailan, I don't think we've actually met-"

"Ah, you're Teryn Cousland's youngest! Elissa." I nodded vaguely. "And how are your father and mother?"

They're dead." I said, my voice hollow, my gaze drifting to remember the bloody scene in the larder before Duncan bodily removed me from it. "Arl Howe…he betrayed us…"

"I'm afraid it's true, your majesty…" Duncan's gaze was on me, his eyes full of concern. "The arl betrayed them during the night and slaughtered everyone in the castle. I only just saved Elissa from the same fate as her parents." Cailan looked outraged, almost to the point where he could barely speak.

"Wh…what?!" his voice was low, shaking his head in disbelief as he turned, looking off to some unknown horizon. "What would the arl think he would have to gain by doing this?!"

"Where's Fergus?" Suddenly I was awake. "I need to find him, tell him-"

"I sent him and several of his men as scouts into the Wilds." Cailan turned to look at me, his face like stone but his voice betraying his feelings. "I don't know when they'll be back, but probably not before the battle." I let my gaze fall, my stomach plummeting with it. I looked back up, however, when I felt a heavy, gauntleted hand rest on my shoulder. I was surprised to be face to face with Cailan, and despite everything I felt my face get hot.

"I promise you, I _swear_ to you, that Arl Howe will pay for what he's done." His voice was low, but his gaze was steady. "Stay strong, Elissa. Fight for them as a Grey Warden." And with that, he backed away, looking at Duncan with a smile. "Now I must be off before Loghain sends out a search party for me."

"So be it, your majesty." And Duncan bowed as Cailan turned and walked off, followed by his escort. I managed an awkward bow before he left, and Duncan and I continued walking. "I'm afraid I will have to leave you, as well. In the camp you will find another Warden, Alistair. Find him, and he will help you and the other two recruits get prepared for the Joining."

"The Joining, sir?" we walked across the biggest stone bridge I had ever seen, the mountains rising up on either side of the pass, as war machines were being tended to in the valley below.

"The rite of passage to become a Grey Warden." Duncan said, waving his hand.

"Where are all the soldiers? There's supposed to be a battle here tonight…" I wondered aloud, and Duncan smiled underneath his beard.

"They're down below, in the valley. Everyone is nervous, although no one will admit it." Duncan continued to talk about the functions of the camp, where things were, who was there, but I wasn't really listening. Cailan's words to me about fighting for my family as a Grey Warden had locked in my head, and suddenly my exhaustion turned to a surprising mix of rage and energy. "You should go find Alistair, as our newest Grey Warden he will be taking you and the other recruits on your excursion into the Wilds to collect vials of Darkspawn blood."

"Wait, what?" I snapped back to reality as we entered the main part of camp.

"For the joining, we will need darkspawn blood." Duncan said, looking at me. "There's a smith here, if you need to sharpen your blades before your task. I will be in the Grey Warden tent, reviewing the battle plans with the other senior Wardens. Go find Alistair; he's tall and blonde, has a bit of a sarcastic tone. He shouldn't be hard to find." With that, Duncan then placed a hand on my shoulder. My eyes met his. "Like Cailan said…fight for your family and everything that was lost." And with that he turned and strode away towards one of the larger tents in the vicinity, with the Grey Warden griffin emblazoned on the side. So I was suddenly alone in the large war camp, the sounds of swords ringing, dogs barking, people talking, the smells of the fires and sweat and shit mixed with the stench from the surrounding Wilds. I ran a hand through my hair, sighing.

"Alistair, huh…" I started walking around, looking for a tall blonde guy. Blonde hair wasn't that common, so it should be easy to spot. Should being the key word. I looked down at Saban, who was simply sitting beside me, and despite myself I knelt down and hugged my great war dog around his neck. "Thanks for being with me, friend." I whispered, my heart aching as I looked into Saban's bright brown eyes. He responded by licking my hand, and I giggled a bit before standing up and taking a deep breath. At least I knew Saban would always be there.

I decided I would head for some old ruins first; there seemed to be a bunch of soldiers milling about on break over there. I walked past the quartermaster up to what appeared to have once been a tower; I had always loved ruins, and Ostagar was famous in and of itself. However, as I made my way up the sloping floor, I saw a scene playing out before me.

"What her reverence desires is of no concern to me!" a dark skinned circle mage with flat, shoulder length hair was complaining. "I am busy helping the Grey Wardens-by the king's orders, I might add!"

"Should I have asked her to write a note?" came the light, glib reply from the young man talking to him. I bit back a smile.

"Tell her I will NOT be harassed in this manner!"

"Yes, _I _was harassing _you_ by giving you a message."

"Your glibness does you no credit." The mage observed, and as I watched the scene, I couldn't help but smile. The young man in question had short, dirty blonde hair, with it spiked a bit at the front. He had a shadow of stubble growing on his chin; the makings of a beard, it looked like, but it suited him well. He had handsome features, and the build of a warrior; also, taller than me. He was wearing the thicker armor of warrior; a sword and shield on his back.

"And here I thought we were getting along so well!" the sarcasm in his voice just made me try to hide my smile behind my hand "I was even going to name one of my children after you. The _grumpy_ one."

"Enough." The mage said, obviously overly annoyed with the man messing with him. "I will speak to the woman if I must. Get out of my way, fool." He huffed, knocking into the man's shoulder roughly as he walked by. I hurriedly walked up to him then, to see if he was alright, but before I could say anything the young man spotted me.

"You know…" he said, taking a few steps closer to me. His eyes were golden; such a light brown that they appeared to be liquid gold mixed with honey. Maker, was he handsome. "One good thing about the Blight is how it brings people together."

"You don't say?" I asked lightly, a smile still playing on my face. "I couldn't tell."

"It's like a party," his face lit up that someone else shared his sarcastic attitude and wanted to joke about the hostilities in the air, "We could all stand in a circle and hold hands. _That_ would give the Darkspawn something to think about." A small laugh escaped me, before I noticed that he was surveying me as I had surveyed him moment before. "Wait…we haven't met…have we? I don't suppose you happen to be another mage?" and suddenly his voice was filled with dread. I couldn't help myself; I laughed out loud, earning a look of surprise from him.

"Oh no, I'm not, sorry." My mirth earned me a raised eyebrow. I tried to contain myself. "I'm sorry. Just…." I coughed. "We haven't met. You must be Alistair." He eyed me warily; I could see the clinks moving slowly in his mind as he put it together.

"Wait, I _do_ know who you are! You're Duncan's new recruit. He didn't mention-"he suddenly stopped himself, his ears going red. "The weather. He did not mention…the weather. Nope." He sighed, giving me an apologetic look with a crooked smile. "I should have recognized you right away. I apologize."

"That's all right, no offense taken." I said, raising an eyebrow at him, smiling.

"Good. You didn't exactly catch me at my best with that mage there." He said, placing a hand on his hip as he reached up to rub the back of his head with his other hand. "Allow me to introduce myself." He made a sweeping bow, with exaggerated hand gestures and everything. "I am Alistair, the new Grey Warden." He straightened up, a light blush on his cheeks as he laughed at himself a bit. "Although…you already know that." This guy just knew how to bring a smile out in me. Considering everything that had just happened-"As the junior member of the order, I shall be accompanying you while you prepare for the Joining."

"My name is Elissa Cousland, it's a pleasure to meet you." Yet suddenly the voice that came out of me sounded hollow. Alistair didn't seem to notice though, that my introduction had been automatic.

"Right~! _That_ was the name." he said, laughing. I felt my mouth crinkle up in a smile. "You know, it just occurred to me that there have never been many women in the Grey Wardens. I wonder why that is?"

"You want more women in the Wardens?" I asked slyly, taking a step forward, giving him a noticeable up and down that made his face turn red.

"Would that be so terrible?" at first he seemed to respond to my obvious flirtation, gazing down at me with what I could only describe as _husky_. But then he withdrew, again. "Not that I'm some drooling leecher or anything, please stop looking at me like that." I burst into a fit of giggles, retreating to give him some breathing room.

-.-.-.-.-.

_Alistair's POV_

"So I'm curious, have you ever actually encountered darkspawn before?" he asked.

"No, I haven't." came the soft reply. Maker's breath, this woman was beautiful. She was about a head shorter than he was; not that he minded that. Her eyes were a deep blue, outlined by long eyelashes. Her hair was muddy brown, flecked with strands of lighter brown all over. It looked as if her hair had been…hacked off by a sword, almost, as choppy as the ends were; her hair was above her shoulders, bangs lightly in her face. She wore light armor; two daggers on her back behind a shield. He wasn't sure if she was a warrior or…a more stealthy kind of fighter. Her armor was spattered in old blood though, and he couldn't help but wonder why. The mabari hound at her side sat obediently, it's tongue lolling out as it panted happily. He raised an eyebrow at it.

"When I fought my first one, I wasn't quite prepared for how monstrous it was." He tried to focus on Elissa's face. He wasn't looking forward to sending this beautiful creature into any darkspawn's path. "I can't say I'm looking forward to encountering another." Her eyes darkened slightly, and he could tell she had her mind elsewhere. "Anyhow, whenever you're ready, we should go find Duncan. I imagine he's ready to get started." She blinked; her eyes were now focused on him again. This woman; she had such a smile. He had seen her trying hard to not laugh out loud when she had stumbled upon him and the mage, which made him only try harder to make her laugh, finding he didn't really care what the mage thought of him. He had a feeling he'd be doing a lot of that.

"Yes; let's go back to Duncan. I'm eager to get started as well." Her voice sent a flutter into his stomach.

"Alright. Well if you have any questions, I'll be here. Besides that though, lead on!"

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><p><em>Yay~!<em> _Here it is. :) Please do review and favorite/follow._

_Let's all dote on Alistair and his glibness and how he makes us laugh from the moment he's introduced into the game. ;u;_


	2. Chapter 2

_Standing at the edge of the Korcari Wilds, its Tevinter garrisons watched for any signs of invasion by the Chasind Wilders barbarians. Straddling a narrow pass in the hills, the fortress kept the Chasind from the fertile lowlands of the north, being exceedingly difficult to attack due to its naturally defensible position._

_Like most southern Imperial holdings, Ostagar was abandoned after Tevinter's collapse during the First Blight. It was sacked from the south at least once, but the Chasind threat has dwindled since their defeat by the hand of Hafter after the Second Blight, and no troops have been stationed there for centuries. Most of the walls still stand, as does the Tower of Ishal, which is named after the Archon who ordered its construction. Ostagar remains a testament to the power of the Tevinter Imperium._

-.-.-

**Author's Note: I think this chapter shall be from Alistair's point of view. I remember my first playthrough of Origins; I actually talked to Daveth and Ser Jory, thinking I'd be traveling with them for a while. Obviously, I was wrong. But I think, that the mission into the Wilds is an important part of Alistair's and Elissa's friendship beginning, as Alistair is quite hilarious and helps us laugh, even after our family has been slaughtered before our eyes. ;-;**

-.-.-.

The Korcari Wilds were…wild. The king's army had set up makeshift walls around Ostagar, so as they trekked further into the Wilds, the more wary Alistair felt. Then again, the constant callings in his mind alerting him to where darkspawn were didn't help either. He was still getting used to that.

He had expected Ser Jory to take the lead, but it was Elissa who lead them deeper into the Wilds in search of darkspawn and the ancient treaties that Duncan had mentioned. Daveth was chattering away, trying to unnerve the others about the darkspawn. Alistair was trying to keep his distance from them; knowing what could happen to all of them. He was biting his tongue on a number of things, but he didn't fail to notice how Elissa seemed to have a savage rage when she fought the wolves they had encountered earlier. She seemed to be vaguely interested in her traveling companions, asking questions about their background and where they came from. Yet he noticed how she wasn't really listening, falling behind the two older men as he trailed behind the three recruits. She had left the giant shield and her war dog with Duncan. Alistair took her momentary solitude as an opportunity to try to figure out what was troubling her.

"Are you alright?" Alistair asked quietly, and she jumped, as if she hadn't realized he had moved to her side.

"Y-yes, I am. Why do you ask?" she asked just as quietly, avoiding his gaze. He leaned over, trying to catch her eye.

"Aw come on, what is it?" he pushed. "I promise I won't tell." When she glanced at him, her eyes were full of raw emotion.

"I don't want to talk to about it." She whispered fiercely, looking away.

"I'm sorry, my lady." He offered gently, and after a moment she glanced up at him through her eyelashes. He couldn't help but smirk in triumph. "I shan't pry further." Before she could reply he felt _them_; and he threw himself on top of her without warning.

"What are you-" her cry of surprise was cut short as a fire ball exploded over their heads.

"Genlock emissary!" he shouted, removing himself from her and drawing his sword and shield. Sure enough, there was a group of darkspawn up ahead, a genlock emissary in the middle, swirling up a storm of magic. Before he could yell out something for them to do, Elissa ran past him, her daggers drawn. He watched her for a second as she ran up the first of the darkspawn and without hesitating slammed her daggers into its throat, bringing it down. Then he snapped to his senses and followed her, his shield in front of him, years of Templar training taking over as he hurled himself into the fray.

"Daveth! With me! Jory, Alistair! Charge the emissary!" Elissa's voice rang out over the clamor of the battle, and he saw her and Daveth seemingly vanish in midair. He shook the thought from his head as he charged for the emissary, shield turned down slightly to help cast off projectiles. There were probably a dozen darkspawn around them, but the one that mattered was mere feet away, its staff spinning in the air as the putrid smell of burning magic and lyrium hit him in the face. Alistair forced his way into the barrier the genlock had created (an easy Templar trick) and quickly, he bashed the thing in it's face with his shield before he brought his sword down on it's head, lodging the sword in its skull. He jerked his arm back, slicing through the genlock's head as he did so, and for good measure, he decapitated it. As soon as the head of the genlock left its shoulders, the magic in the area suddenly dispersed, and Alistair turned his attention to the other darkspawn around them. Instead of the long fight he had been expecting however, the battle ended shortly afterwards. He was having difficulty removing his sword from a Hurlock when Elissa came up to him.

"Good work back there with the emissary." She said, watching him struggle with his sword for a moment.

"Thanks." He grunted, yanking the sword out of the hurlock's back with no great ceremony, splattering even more blood on himself and her. He looked at her; it took true beauty to look attractive whilst covered in the grime of battle.

"Are you a Templar?" she questioned, and despite himself Alistair laughed bitterly.

"No, fortunately for me. There will be no lyrium withdrawals and no going mad when I'm old, poor me." He joked, and she raised an eyebrow at him, confused. Obviously she didn't get it. Oops. "I was conscripted by Duncan before I could take my vows. But as a bonus, I've kept all of the Templar abilities. Lucky me."

"That would explain why you were able to breach the emissary's barrier." She said thoughtfully, and he grinned.

"Right you are, fair lady. Shall we continue?"

"Yes." She turned swiftly, calling to Jory and Daveth. Alistair couldn't put his finger on it; she was horribly upset about something, he could tell that much. After they had collected some vials of darkspawn blood, he caught up with her again.

"So. Elissa." She looked at him, continuing to trudge through the Wilds. "I see you've become the leader of this merry troupe."

"Perhaps. I just know what needs to be done and I didn't see anyone else moving to take the lead." She said accusingly, and he laughed.

"Me? No no no, no leading. Bad things happen when I lead. We get lost, people die, and the next thing you know, I'm stranded somewhere without any pants." She bit back a laugh, and he felt the grin on his face widen.

"Has it happened before?" she asked wryly, and he swallowed.

"No, but I'm sure that it will should I lead. Besides, you're doing a marvelous job and I don't mind following you." She smirked at him, raising an eyebrow as he thought about what he had just said. "I mean, I didn't mean, i-its jus that you're doing such a great job! Leading already, look at you go, I couldn't possibly step in now."

"Excuse us lovebirds," Daveth's gruff voice came from behind them. "But while you two were getting cozy, we've found more company." Alistair looked up; in front of them was a tumbled down old tower, and it was filled with darkspawn. How had he not noticed them?

"Right." Elissa was back to business. She gestured for the three of them to follow her; she hid them all behind a large tree. "Okay. You three distract the main group of them, and I'll slink around to take out the archers. Got it?"

"Wait! I know you, you're Teyrn Cousland's daughter, aren't you?" Jory said suddenly, and Elissa glared at him with such malice Alistair could hardly believe it was the same woman he had just been speaking with.

"_Not_ the time to mention that." She growled through gritted teeth, and it silenced Jory. Wait, she was nobility? No wonder she knew how to take charge… "Any _more_ questions?" she hissed, and when no one answered, she said "Good. Go." And with that, Alistair and the two other men ran out from behind the tree and up the hill towards the tower. Alistair ignored the bad feeling in his gut about fighting a battle when you're on the downside of a hill. He threw his shield up, feeling the arrows plink against it uselessly.

Alistair didn't particularly enjoy fighting darkspawn (who could, really), but in what was really only about fifteen minutes, all of the darkspawn around them fell. He was really going to need a bath after this.

"I don't understand how the Grey Wardens could have left such an important thing behind…" Elissa muttered as they walked into the ruins of the old tower. The ruins were huge; he could only imagine what it had looked like in it's prime. Lucky for them, there was a broken chest near the back wall. Elissa walked up to it, kneeling down to filter through the pieces for the treaties.

"Well, well." Alistair spun around at the unfamiliar voice, seeing a woman up on the old ruins that he was sure had definitely not been there when they had walked up. "What have we here?" Alistair's hand reached for his sword, but Elissa put her hand out to stop him, her eyes fixed on the woman speaking. "Are you a vulture, I wonder, a scavenger, poking amidst the corpses and bones long since cleaned?" the woman walked down the slope slowly, moving almost like a cat. She was scantily dressed, revealing a great deal of her upper body (and despite himself Alistair raked his eyes over her twice-but only twice). Her hair was black as the night, and her eyes were _yellow_. She also had a staff; an apostate. Elissa stood up to meet her the edge of the tower, her form seemingly sparking with a tension that was waiting to come unbound at this new intruder. Yet she hadn't sprung yet, so Alistair stayed his blade. "Or are you merely an intruder? Come into these darkspawn infested wilds of mine in search of easy prey?" Elissa didn't answer immediately, and the woman folded her arms across her chest. "What say you, hm? Scavenger, or intruder?"

"Neither." Elissa finally spoke, obviously wary of the strange woman. "We're Grey Warden recruits, except for blondie, and we came searching for the treaties that were left here."

"Blondie?" Alistair huffed while Daveth sniggered.

"Ah. Your treaties have long since been taken from here." The woman said, walking around them slowly. "I have watched your progress since you entered the wilds, curious as to what your intentions were."

"How? We would have seen you." Elissa countered, and the woman laughed.

"Not everything is as you see it." She said, and suddenly Alistair felt very exposed.

"Don't speak with her." Alistair said quietly to Elissa, and she looked at him. "She looks Chasind, and that means others could be nearby."

"Ohhh, you fear _barbarians_ may swoop down upon you?" the woman mocked.

"Yes…swooping is_ bad_…" he said slowly.

"She's a Witch of the Wilds, she is! She'll turn us into toads!" Daveth exclaimed, but Elissa didn't look convinced.

"You there." She motioned to Elissa, ignoring Daveth entirely. "You seem quite capable, compared to those you travel with. Tell me your name, and I shall tell you mine."

"I am Elissa Cousland, daughter of Teryn Bryce and Eleanor Cousland." Elissa stepped forward, drawing her shoulders back proudly. Alistair blinked; how could he not have seen it before, that she was nobility? It screamed out at him from every angle of her; how she carried herself, how she spoke, the way she moved with such grace even in battle…

"A proud title." The woman said, "Although the fires burned bright in Highever as of a few nights past. Screams and horrors abounded, did they not?" Alistair was so confused.

"What do you know of my family? Nothing. Now give us your name." Elissa practically spat, and there was the rage he had seen in her earlier. It was startling to see such anger in a woman.

"I am Morrigan. I am to assume that you seek what was in the chest, the treaties, but is here no longer."

"'Here no longer'? You stole them, didn't you? You're some kind of…sneaky witch thief!" Alistair blurted out, and Morrigan merely shot him a disdainful look.

"So very eloquent." Elissa muffled an amused chuckle, and Alistair set his lips in a thin line. Really?

"Do you know who took the treaties?"

"I do."

"Could you bring us to who took them?"

"As you wish."

"She'll turn us into toads and throw us into a pot, she will!" Daveth cried out as Elissa made to follow Morrigan.

"If the pots warmer then this blasted forest, it'd be a welcome change." Jory muttered.

"Follow me, then, if it pleases you." Morrigan turned to go, and Elissa followed, motioning for the three of them to do the same. Alistair caught up with Elissa; he seemed to be doing a lot of that.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he whispered as they fell several paces behind the witch.

"No."

"Then why are we doing it?"

"We need the treaties, remember?" she hissed, and Alistair bit his lip.

"Alright. Lead the way, then."

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><p><em>I got a little lazy there at the end, because we all know what happens and I didn't want to run through it all again. Blegh.<em>

_But anyway, hope you enjoyed! More will be coming (hopefully)_


	3. Chapter 3

_Woooo Ostagar~!_

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><p>"Alistair?" I asked, catching up to him after we had made it back to camp.<p>

"Hm?" he turned around; he was by the fire with the other Wardens. Once the sun started to sink below the horizon, Duncan had said to meet him by the ruins where I had first met Alistair. So for now, we had probably about an hour to kill.

"Could I talk to you for a moment?" I said quietly, feeling my face heat up. I felt like I owed him an explanation for my outbursts in the Wilds; the look of shock on his face at my seemingly unwarranted anger had left a nasty feeling in my gut. Alistair blinked.

"O-of course." He left the circle and walked with me for a moment; I looked around nervously to make sure I could speak to him without anyone overhearing what I was going to say. It just didn't seem right, to speak about what had happened, but I wanted him to know. Why, I couldn't really understand.

"I want to apologize." I started, and he simply stared at me with a blank expression. "For my seemingly unwarranted anger, in the Wilds." My voice was shaking. "When…when you asked me if I was alright, I mean…" wow, this was harder than I thought it would be.

"Elissa, what is it?" his voice was soft, and I looked up at him. Instead of being harsh or cold, he wore a look of concern, tilting his head in a bit. I swallowed, and looked down at my feet, my hands balling into fists.

"My family was slaughtered." My voice broke, and I felt my eyes begin to water. I could not let myself cry. "Duncan saved me; my parents forced me to go with him to fight another day." I took a deep breath. "That's why…that's why I'm…"

"It's alright." I felt a hand on my shoulder, and startled, I looked up at Alistair. I searched his eyes as he searched mine, maybe for some token of understanding. "I had a feeling you would talk about whatever it was whenever you were ready." I bit my lip, trying extremely hard to not cry. "Hey," he quirked an eyebrow up at me, "it's going to be alright. I'll be your shoulder to cry on if you need it." He gave me the damndest cutest smile, and I forced myself to smile back.

"Thank you Alistair. I just…felt bad, that I snapped at you." Alistair chuckled.

"Trust me, you'll have to do worse than that to make me think badly of you." He said gently, his eyes sparkling, and I allowed myself to melt under his gaze.

"Still. Thank you." I said quietly.

"You are most welcome." He replied, and then he cast a gaze behind me. "Sorry Elissa, but I gotta run. See you in a bit!" and he vanished before I could say anything. I turned around to see what he had been looking at, and I snorted. Of course he would run from the mages.

I passed the time by talking to one of the older mages; Wynne. She seemed very knowledgeable about everything that was going on, but she shooed me away to continue preparations with the other mages and the Templars. So I found myself walking towards our designated waiting area all alone. However, I found Daveth and Jory already there; Alistair as well. Alistair was leaning up against one of the stone pillars, looking at the ground, while Jory was pacing back and forth, Daveth watching him. I walked up right as Jory started complaining.

"The more I hear about thus Joining, the less I like it." He groaned.

"Are you blubbering again?" Daveth asked, and Jory glared at him.

"Why all these tests? Have I not already earned my place?" I cast an unsure glance at Alistair, but he seemed quite fixated on the ground.

"Maybe it's tradition. Maybe it's to annoy you."

"Bickering about it won't help, you know." I said, but Jory seemed insistent on continuing.

"I only know that my wife has a child on the way, if they had warned me…it just doesn't seem fair."

"Would you have come if they had? Maybe that's why they didn't. The Wardens do what they must, right?" Daveth beat me to berating Jory.

"Including _sacrificing _us?"

"I'd sacrifice a lot more if it meant ending a Blight." Daveth said. "You saw those darkspawn, ser knight. Wouldn't you die if it meant protecting your pretty wife from them?" Jory shifted uneasily.

"I…"

"Maybe you'll die. Maybe we'll all die. But if nobody stops the darkspawn, we'll all die."

"I've just never faced a foe I could not engage with my blade." So he was afraid.

"At last we come to the Joining." Duncan walked up behind us; we all turned to face him. He walked over to the table near us, where a chalice sat. "The Grey Wardens were founded during the First Blight, when humanity stood on the edge of annihilation. So it was that the first Grey Wardens drank the darkspawn blood, and mastered their taint." I felt my stomach churn as Duncan faced us.

"We're going to drink the blood of those…those creatures?" Jory sounded appalled.

"As the first Grey Wardens did before us, as we did before you. This is the source of our power and victory."

"Those who survive the Joining become immune to the taint. We can sense darkspawn and slay an Archdemon with it." Alistair finally spoke up, and I found him standing close beside me.

"Those who survive…?" I asked, and Duncan looked at me.

"Not all who drink the blood will survive and those who do are forever changed. This is why the Joining is a secret. This is the price we must pay. We speak only a few words prior to the Joining, but they have been said since the first. Alistair, if you would?" I glanced at the tall man beside me.

"Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten and that one day we shall join you." I watched Jory cast a wary eye at the chalice on the table before Duncan raised it solemnly and turned to Daveth.

"Daveth, step forward." Daveth accepted the chalice without complaint, raising it to his lips and swallowing whatever was in it. Suddenly, his body spasmed, he doubled over, yelling, his eyes turning white, and he let out a gurgled cry before he fell to the ground, motionless.

"Maker's breath!" Jory backed up, away from the obviously dead man in front of him. I clenched my fists, feeling my stomach churn again, but I felt a gentle touch on my left hand. I glanced at Alistair, who gave me a meaningful look.

"I am sorry, Daveth." Duncan's voice was unwavering as he turned to Jory. "Step forward, Jory."

"But..!" Jory backed up, drawing his sword, "I have a wife, a child! If I had known..!"

"There is no turning back." Duncan's expression darkened as he set the chalice down, drawing his own sword.

"No! You ask too much!" Jory had backed himself into a corner. "There is no glory in this!"

"I am sorry." Duncan strode forward, easily slapping away Jory's sword with his own before plunging his blade into the man's stomach. Jory let out a strangled cry as Duncan twisted the blade, effectively killing the man. I still felt Alistair's touch on my hand, and I remembered to stand my ground, feeling a knot in my throat as blood splattered over Duncan, Jory's body falling to the ground, blood pooling around him.

"But the Joining is not yet complete." Duncan then turned to me, and I steeled myself for what was about to happen. I felt Alistair squeeze my hand before letting go; an action that apparently went unnoticed by Duncan. I tried to control my breathing. "You are called upon to submit yourself to the taint for the greater good." Duncan handed me the chalice, and I took it with trembling hands. I stared at the thick liquid in the cup for a moment, before tilting it up to drink. Liquid fire coursed down my throat as I handed the chalice back to Duncan. I felt an unbelievable pain suddenly surge through my entire body, and I fell to my knees, barely hearing Duncan call me a Grey Warden. I then saw a huge dragon; twisted and torn, its eyes a blood red, screaming in the depths of the earth above a flood of darkspawn, and then everything went dark.

-.-.-.-.

I opened my eyes to see Duncan and Alistair hovering over me.

"It is finished. Welcome." I sat up slowly, reeling from the receding pain. Alistair's hand was on my back as I sat still for a moment, blinking.

"Two more deaths." He murmured, and I looked at him. "In my Joining, only one of us died. But it was…awful. I'm glad you-at least one of you made it." He corrected himself quickly, and I shot him a small smile before he helped me stand up.

"How do you feel?" Duncan asked, shooting a strange look at Alistair, before casting his watchful gaze on me.

"I'm alright; it's over now." I said, running a hand through my hair. I caught myself trying to run it through much longer hair that was no longer there. A flash of one of the Arl's men holding me by my hair as he dragged me out of bed shot through my mind, the dagger I slept with flashing as I cut my hair to get away and stab the man in the chest.

"Did you have dreams?" I glanced at Alistair, making a mental note to thank him for the gentle touch of his hand on mine before I drank from the chalice. If he hadn't reassured me… "I had terrible dreams after my Joining."

"Such dreams come with the Joining. That and many other things will be explained in the months to come." Duncan turned to walk away, and I made to follow but Alistair stopped me, shoving something into my hand.

"Something to remember your Joining." He said quietly, and I stared up at him. "We take some of the blood and put it into a pendant; to remember those who didn't make it this far." I took the simple pendant and stared at it; the blackness of the darkspawn blood swirling inside the pendant catching the light in an eerie way.

"Mind helping me?" I asked innocently, and Alistair smiled, sending a warm feeling into my stomach. I had a feeling I'd come to rely on him more often than not in the months to come.

"Of course." I turned so he could clasp the simple pendant around my neck. I swallowed as I felt his fingers brush against my exposed skin; how did he manage to make me feel like this, so easily? Too quickly for me, he pulled away, and I turned back around to smile at him. He had a crooked smile on his face. Before either of us could say anything, Duncan interrupted us.

"If you're quite finished," Duncan had come back when he had realized we had followed him, "Elissa, I'd like you to accompany me to a meeting with the king. Follow me, if you will." I cast an apologetic look at Alistair and rushed after Duncan.

-.-.-.-.

"You heard the plan. You and Alistair will go to the Tower of Ishal and make sure the beacon is lit." Duncan said, staring Alistair and I down. I was kneeling next to Saban, trying to make my heart slow its pace at the idea of the upcoming battle.

"What?! I won't be in the battle?!" Alistair sounded surprised, and slightly angry.

"That is by the king's personal request, Alistair. If the beacon is not lit, Teryn Loghain's men won't know when to charge."

"So he needs two Grey Wardens up there holding the torch, just in case, right?" Alistair's sarcasm melted through with his bitterness, and I glanced at him, surprised.

"I'm ready to do what needs to be done." I said quietly, and Duncan cast an authoritative glare at Alistair.

"If the king wants Grey Wardens to light the beacon, then Grey Wardens will be there to light the beacon." He said quietly, the untold threat hanging in the air. Alistair groaned. "We must do whatever it takes to destroy the darkspawn. Exciting or no."

"I get it, I get it…" Alistair said, running a gauntleted hand through his hair. "But if the king ever asks me to put on a dress and dance the Remigold, I'm drawing the line, darkspawn or no." I stifled a laugh as Duncan glared at him.

"Way to take a stand, Alistair." I said, smirking. Alistair smiled crookedly at me.

"I have my dignity." He said defensively. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, some." Duncan sighed, letting it go.

"The Tower of Ishal is on the other side of the bridge." Duncan said, returning to the task at hand. "You'll have to reach the top, where you'll be able to overlook the entire valley."

"When do we light the beacon?" I asked, and Duncan looked at me.

"We will signal you when we are ready. Alistair will know what to look for."

"Alright. I'm ready." I looked at Alistair, and he nodded in agreement.

"Very well. I must join the others. You two will have less than an hour to reach the top of the tower, so I suggest you move quickly. You two will be on your own." He looked at us both meaningfully. "You are both Grey Wardens. I expect you both to be worthy of that title."

"Duncan." Alistair spoke up suddenly, and I glanced at him, surprised at the emotion in his voice. "May the Maker watch over you." Duncan's expression softened.

"May He watch over us all." And with that, he walked away, leaving Alistair, Saban and I alone.

"Come on, we better get going." I said, standing up. Alistair nodded.

"Lead the way, fair lady." He said, and I gave him a shove, making him laugh.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Of course it would start storming." I muttered as we made our way towards the bridge. Thunder boomed in the sky and lightning flashed as we made it to the bridge, and I felt my eyes widen and my stomach drop as I saw the torches burning in the distance. "Maker preserve us." One of the soldiers near me snorted.

"We'll need more than the Maker with this." She said, the stark blue of her eyes catching me off guard.

"Hawke! Come on!" the soldier named 'Hawke' gave us a salute before running off after another soldier, and Alistair looked at me.

"Let's go." As he said that, I saw the horde of darkspawn begin to charge. I nodded, hearing the war horns blow below us. We started running across the bridge, even as flaming bits of rock came flying from trebuchets from the darkspawn side of the battle. The sounds of the battle echoed through the valley; archers lined the bridge, firing repeatedly into the fray as the hounds met the horde, their defiant howls sending a chill down my spine. Before long the sound of men dying reached us, and I checked to make sure Saban was close to me. I don't think I'd be able to handle losing him too.

Suddenly, one of the rocks hit the bridge, and I felt myself being thrown into the air, falling, and then landing painfully onto the cold, wet stone. I felt two strong hands reach under my arms, helping me stand, and I held onto whoever while I tried to stop my vision from spinning.

"Elissa, are you alright?" Alistair was shouting, and I focused my gaze on his face.

"I-I think so." I shouted back, and Alistair simply held onto my arm as we began running again, keeping our heads low as arrows whizzed by overhead. I saw Saban beside Alistair, and I felt reassured that he was with me. After we passed the immediate danger of the bridge, my head stopped spinning, but Alistair didn't let go until we made it to the steps of the tower where we were met by a Circle mage and a soldier, both of whom looked very tired, and covered in blood, even with the heavy rain.

"You! You're Grey Wardens, aren't you?" the man was holding his side. "The tower-it's been taken!"

"What are you talking about man? Taken how?!" Alistair demanded.

"The darkspawn came up from the lower chambers." He turned to face the tower. "Most of our men are dead, the tower is overrun."

"Not for long." I said, drawing my daggers, the Cousland shield on my back.

"We'll have to light the beacon ourselves." Alistair said, drawing his own sword and shield. Saban barked in agreement.

"Let's go Alistair. Mage, with us." I pointed at the mage, who grimly nodded and stepped in behind Alistair and myself as we headed towards the tower.

* * *

><p><em>What shall happen next?!<em>


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